On the Road to Nowhere
by sofia313
Summary: "Yes, Elise, I will wed you when the time comes. I promise." Lucien never kept his promise. He thought that he wouldn't see his dearest childhood friend again and he certainly never thought that she would be Lord Tristan's new mistress. Three shot.
1. Chapter 1

**Rated M to be safe. Difficult themes, mentions of abuse.**

* * *

 **Part 1**

"Have you seen her?" a servant called Vincent asked.

"Who?" Lucien muttered absentmindedly, he was trying to get some rest. He shared a very small living quarters with four other servants, but fortunately only Vincent was here at the moment.

"Lord Tristan's new toy, she was brought here few days ago. I heard that she is a peasant, but she is absolutely gorgeous. Rumor has it that the lord truly fancies her."

Lucien found that hard to believe, he doubted that Tristan de Martel was able to feel anything at all. The thought of him fancying some peasant girl was absurd to say the least.

"You should not believe everything you hear," Lucien murmured. "Where would have Lord Tristan met a peasant girl?"

"Now that is an interesting story, my friend," Vincent replied. "I heard that he rode through the girl's village, saw her and immediately bought her from her father."

That certainly sounded like something Tristan would do. Poor girl…

"He gave her an official position as his mistress," Vincent continued. "Can you believe that?"

"I feel sorry for her," Lucien murmured.

"Sorry for her? I heard that he had given her plenty of sumptuous gifts, silk gowns, jewelry…"

"I think we both know what will happen to her after the lord gets bored with her," Lucien cut in. "She is not a noblewoman, she has no insurance. Her life will be ruined after he casts her out, no man will want to marry her."

"Yes… I suppose you are right," Vincent replied. "She will likely end up in a brothel. If she is lucky. But I must say that I will most certainly be her first client. That is something to look forward to."

Lucien didn't comment on that, he found the whole thought foul. This was someone's life they were talking about. Poor girl. The world truly was a cruel place; Lucien had learned that over and over again. Serving Count de Martel and his spoiled sadistic son… Lucien hated every moment of it. Unfortunately he had no choice. This was his life now. He had no family, no fortune, nothing. And yet his life seemed almost enviable comparing to this girl, whoever she was. Lucien truly felt sorry for her.

* * *

 _"Elise…"_

 _Lucien felt helpless; he tried clumsily to comfort his sobbing friend. Her bruises looked bad, her father had been angry last night after returning from the tavern. Lucien couldn't understand how her father could be so mean to her, his own father had never hurt him. His father was a good man. Lucien wanted to be a good man too and look after his friend. After all, he was 13 already, almost a man. Elise was couple of moons younger than him and she was a girl, but she was still his best friend. They had been friends as long as Lucien could remember. Some boys in the village had mocked him for being a girl's friend, but he didn't care about that._

 _"It's alright," he murmured._

 _Elise looked at him with her tearful eyes._

 _"Mama said that it was my fault, I angered papa."_

 _Lucien shook his head._

 _"No, it wasn't your fault."_

 _He didn't know what else to say. Elise's bottom lip was trembling, she leaned her head on Lucien's shoulder. They stayed like that for a long while until she wasn't crying anymore._

 _"Lucien?" she murmured._

 _"Yes?"_

 _"Will you be my husband when it is time for me to get married?"_

 _He pulled away and looked at her._

 _"What?"_

 _She dried her eyes and took his hand._

 _"Please. I want a husband who is kind to me. You have always been kind."_

 _"Yes, but…"_

 _She lowered her head._

 _"You think I am ugly."_

 _"No, no, I do not think that. I… "_

 _He wasn't sure what to say, he had never thought of her as anything else than his best friend. But he didn't want her to be upset._

 _"Yes, Elise, I will wed you when the time comes."_

 _She looked up and smiled at him._

 _"You will?"_

 _He nodded._

 _"Yes. I promise."_

* * *

Lucien had almost forgotten his conversation with Vincent when he served Count de Martel wine in the garden the next day. Few members of the court were gathered in the garden, the day was hot and sunny. Lucien glanced at the Lady Aurora; she was talking with couple of other ladies. Usually Tristan was always present, watching his sister like a hawk. Now he wasn't here.

Lucien certainly wasn't sad about that. Still he wouldn't have been foolish enough to approach the Lady Aurora. Three winters he had admired her beauty, dreaming of a future with her. He had fallen in love with her the moment he had laid eyes on her. She had made him to forget all his misfortune for a brief moment. She had also made him to forget the promise he had made many winters ago. It had been a promise of a foolish child; surely Elise hadn't really wished him to keep it.

It had been a while since Lucien had thought about her. He hadn't seen her after his father's funeral, after that he had been brought to the castle to pay off his father's debt. Three winters had gone by fast. He truly hoped that everything was alright with her. He had wanted to visit his home village, but he hadn't been able to do that. From the corner of his eye he noticed that Lord Tristan had just arrived. There was someone walking behind him, but Lucien didn't really pay much attention to that.

"Is that her?" Lucien heard some noblewoman whispering. "The lord's new mistress?"

"Yes, I believe so," the other noblewoman replied.

Lucien couldn't control his curiosity; he turned around to take a quick look at the girl. Honey blonde hair, big blue eyes…. This couldn't be possible. Tristan's new mistress was Elise.


	2. Chapter 2

**Some mild mature content**

* * *

 **Part 2**

 _Two days earlier_

 _Tristan sighed in contentment and closed his eyes, he was truly enjoying himself. He was sitting in the bathtub, letting the gentle hands of his new mistress to carefully rub him clean. Normally a servant helped him to bathe, but now his lovely Elise had wanted to do that. He certainly wasn't complaining, her touch was more than pleasant._

 _"That feels good," he murmured._

 _"I am glad to hear that, my lord," she replied. She was standing behind him, washing his back._

 _He leaned back as she moved on to his arms and chest. Slowly he opened his eyes and looked at her. She truly was beautiful; he had wanted her from the moment he had laid eyes on her and he had got used to getting what he wanted. Making a peasant his mistress… He had never thought that he would do something like that, not before he had met her. There was simply something about her that made him want to mark her as his. To claim her._

 _He had never felt like that toward any of his mistresses. Elise was so concentrated on her task that it took a moment before she noticed him looking at her. The smile that she gave him was warm and it looked genuine. She wasn't like his other mistresses, they had all been noblewomen. She was modest, unaffected. He liked that._

 _"I would like you to join me, my little cherry blossom," he stated._

 _"Of course, my lord," she replied, she didn't look nervous at all._

 _She hadn't been nervous when they had spent their first night together, even though she had been a virgin. Somehow she had still known how to drive him crazy. She had only been uncomfortable when he had asked about the scars on her back; she had apologized if they bothered him. They didn't. Clearly her father had been a pitiful drunkard; he had sold his daughter for few coins._

 _As strange as that was, she hadn't shown any fear when Tristan had taken her with him. On the contrary, she had seemed more than willing to come with him. He looked at her as she undressed, smiling at him the whole time. The beauty of her body didn't cease to amaze him. The smoothness of her skin, the roundness of her curves, the softness of her lips that were made for kissing… She was nothing less than exquisite. He held out his hand and helped her into the bathtub._

 _"Thank you," she said._

 _He ran his thumb gently over her cheek._

 _"Do you have everything you need here, darling? Is your bedchamber comfortable?"_

 _"It is, my lord, thank you."_

 _He observed her face for a moment before continuing._

 _"I am curious about something, darling. You have never seemed in any way afraid of me. Why is that?"_

 _"I… If you wish me to be afraid…"_

 _"No, no, that is not what I meant, I was merely curious."_

 _Most people, especially women, were usually more or less scared of him. He was a ruthless man, but for some reason Elise didn't seem to care about that._

 _"I do not get scared easily, my lord," she stated smiling and slowly moved closer to him._

 _"I can see that," he murmured. "And I find that…refreshing."_

 _He wrapped his arms possessively around her waist and pulled her on his lap. He couldn't believe how beautiful she was. Her breasts pressed against his ribs, making him lust for her even more. No other woman had ever made him feel like this, he would have given her anything she would have asked._

 _"Elise… Tell me that you are mine."_

 _"I am yours, my lord," she whispered in his ear and moved her hips seductively. "Only yours."_

 _That was more than he could take; he crushed his mouth onto hers. She was just as responsive as always, mimicking everything he was doing. He had never met a woman like her. She truly was driving him crazy._

* * *

Tristan couldn't deny that he felt satisfied when he noticed how the other men in the garden were looking at Elise. Clearly they liked what they were seeing, but obviously none of them would have ever dared to touch her, she belonged only to Tristan. She looked absolutely stunning wearing a pale blue silk gown.

This was her first public appearance; he had needed to teach her some basic etiquette first. She had been a fast learner, clearly she was intelligent. That was something he appreciated, unintelligent women bored him quickly. Elise however was everything he wanted from a woman. He couldn't imagine getting bored with her.

"Would you like some wine, my lord?" she asked. "The day is very hot."

"Yes…"

He paused and glanced at the servant who seemed to be staring at Elise. It was one of his father's servants, Lucien if Tristan remembered correctly. Tristan frowned and motioned the servant to approach him.

"My lord," the servant murmured and bowed.

"Bring me some wine," he ordered and turned to look at Elise. "How about you, darling? Would you like something to drink?"

Elise smiled and moved beside him.

"I would, my lord, thank you."

She didn't even glance at the servant; her eyes were on Tristan the whole time. Tristan didn't pay attention to the servant either when he led Elise to meet Aurora and few other members of the court. He didn't notice that the servant was still staring at Elise.


	3. Chapter 3

**Here's the third part, thank you for all the feedback.**

* * *

 **Part 3**

 _"It is time for you to learn manners, little harlot. Here's a gift for you. Have fun."_

 _"No, papa, please! I am sorry, I am sorry, please…"_

 _The rest of Elise's sentence turned into a scream of terror as her father threw a sack into the old well. She knew what was inside. Rats… She was trapped in the darkness with them… The squeaking was getting louder and louder as they chewed their way out of the sack…_

 _"No! Papa, please, don't! I am sorry, I am sorry, I am sorry…"_

"My lady," Elise said smiling and curtsied.

Lord Tristan's sister greeted her politely. So did the other ladies, although it wasn't difficult to see what they thought of her. Elise couldn't have cared less about that. She had been through the most horrific hell with the sadistic drunkard known as her father, nothing could hurt her anymore. Not even _him_. She refused to even look at him. The man she had loved with all her heart. The only person she had trusted.

She had shared some of her deepest thoughts with Lucien, but not even him had known how wicked her father truly was. He had only known about the physical abuse, not the constant mental torture. It would have broken Elise a long time ago if she wouldn't have had hope for something better. A marriage with the kind and gentle man who would have never hurt her. A safe home. Children. A family of her own. Lucien's promise had been the only thing that had given her strength to endure her life. She had dared to hope for a small piece of happiness for herself, as foolish as that had been.

After Lucien's father had died and he had been sent to serve Count de Martel, Elise had waited to hear from him. 6 moons had passed, then 12. She hadn't given up on hope, she had been sure that Lucien would eventually send her a word. He probably just needed to serve the Count for a while before he would be able to take a wife. Elise had known that servants were allowed to get married, if they had their master's approval. There was no reason why Count de Martel wouldn't have given Lucien his approval; many servants in the castle were married.

Elise would have accepted any position in the castle without hesitation and she had been prepared to work as hard as she needed to look after her husband. She would have done anything for his welfare. After 20 moons had passed, she had been forced to understand that there would be no word from Lucien. There would be no marriage. By then she had been too frozen inside to even shed a tear.

Her mother had died soon after Lucien had left, leaving Elise alone with her father. Not that her mother had ever protected her from her father, but after she had died, he had become even crueler. Tormenting Elise had been his greatest joy. There had been no hope for her to ever find a husband; no man in the village would have wed the drunkard's daughter who had no dowry. She had given up all hope until she had met Lord Tristan. To her he had been nothing less than an angel from heaven.

Of course Elise had known that he could be as bad as her father, but she would have given herself to the devil himself if that would have been the only way to get away from her father. So far Lord Tristan hadn't been cruel or violent, Elise had learned quickly how to keep him happy. He most definitely had a very dark side, but she wasn't afraid. As she had said to him, she didn't get scared easily, thanks to her father.

She stayed quiet and listened politely after getting through the official introductions. She could tell that Lord Tristan was pleased with her, he glanced at her approvingly. All of this was completely new to Elise, but if there was something she was good at, it was adapting. She was a fast learner and she would try her hardest to survive here. Maybe, just maybe, there was even a small chance for her to find a little happiness. The thought was nothing but strange, she had stopped believing in happiness a long time ago.

Somehow she managed to keep the smile on her face when Lucien served Lord Tristan the wine. Then he was right in front of her, looking at her with a worried expression. It hurt, no matter how much she wanted to deny it. All she wanted was to hate him, but she didn't think she would ever be able to do that. Not even after she had seen how Lucien had looked at the Lady Aurora. He had never looked at Elise like that.

The thought made her bitter, she couldn't deny that. He had been her everything and she would have been a good wife. She would have done anything to make him happy. Instead he had chosen to chase a fairytale, a woman he could never have. So be it. She took the wine goblet from him without saying a word and moved beside Lord Tristan, turning her back on Lucien. Lord Tristan glanced at her, brushed a stray hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear, his actions a soft kindness in comparison to what she had gotten used to. She smiled at him, hoping to show him her appreciation. He was the one who would have her loyalty now; she would try her best to make him happy.


End file.
